By: Evi Fromm and Claire Cutting

Bellbrook Sugarcreek Schools was named a 5-Star school in the state of Ohio for the second year in a row in September of this year. On Thursday, November 14, the Board of Education gave time at their meeting to allow for a showcase to demonstrate all the different things that earn Bellbrook Sugarcreek Schools a 5-Star rating.

Over the past month and a half, the new Media and Marketing Club at BHS led by the district’s Parent/Community Engagement and Communication Coordinator, Henry Conte, put together an elaborate presentation of videos. In these videos, students of all ages in the district were interviewed, clubs and activities were highlighted, and outreach programs in the district like Stephen Bells Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser were discussed.

“The board meeting took a lot of preparation and hours,” senior member Jordan Frantz said. “We would have meetings every Monday and sometimes Sundays. We would sit down for three hours and discuss the plans, how far we have come, and what else we need to do. We had to plan scripts, interviews, and the hardest part was scheduling the interviews and finding the time.”

In the end, the club ended up making several videos to fill the first hour of the board meeting.

“The recording was also tricky because we would have to reshoot every clip even if there was a small minor flaw,” Frantz said.

To go along with the videos, there were a couple live performances by high school groups.

The BHS Choir came and sang the song “We Shall Overcome” under the direction of teacher Katie Blankenship. Mrs. Blankenship addressed the audience before they began singing and explained that she asked all of the students to wear a shirt from an activity they are a part of at BHS. She wanted to demonstrate how all of the kids at BHS are active participants in the district.

At the end of the meeting, one the the six drone teams at BHS, Full Throttle, came and did a demonstration of the game Capture the Flag with their drones.

“I’m glad we got to come out and show off what we do to our community,” senior Zac Hansen said.

Full Throttle attended the Drones in Schools National Competition in San Diego in March, and placed second in the Nation to graduated BHS team, The Hog Flyers. All the teams at BHS are currently getting into their competition season and starting to raise money so they can attend Nationals in Houston in the spring.

“This special event happened at the board meeting because the Board of Education members wanted to congratulate and show off the successes of the staff and students throughout the Bellbrook Sugarcreek School District,” Frantz said. “It isn’t everyday the school community is awarded five stars, so showing a lot of the community the great things going on was super important.”